How 1 Voice Academy Empowers Children Battling Cancer
With the help of (holiday) contributions from friends and family, the DeBartolo Family Foundation made a $25,000 donation to the 1 Voice Academy in Brandon, Fla. The nonprofit school is part of the 1 Voice Foundation and the only school in the country that is a fully accredited K-12 school for kids with cancer. After Ann Massolio lost her 9-year-old son to cancer, she vowed to figure out a way to educate children while they were receiving treatment because her son wanted to attend school so badly and couldn’t.
In 2011, she presented the concept to the Hillsborough County School Superintendent and in 2020, 1 Voice Academy opened. The school serves children from birth to 18 years old and provides 25 different programs and services for the entire family. Their philosophy is that the entire family is diagnosed, not just the child.
1 Voice Academy does not receive any state or federal funding and besides the Executive Director, every person working is a volunteer. To learn more visit 1voicefoundation.org
